Light in the Darkness
by Rayven-Nevarre
Summary: Arysia Silvertear, once a proud clan chieftess on a planet in the Unknowns, captured and broken by the Empire. Details on how she survives, and what happens the day the Emperor falls. Please R&R Chapters will be added.
1. Default Chapter

Light in the Darkness  
  
By: Rayven Nevarre  
  
Disclaimer: The Star Wars Universe belongs, of course, to George Lucas. I can claim no ownership of Vader, Palpatine, Mara Jade, Skywalker, Han, or the others. However, Zaracuse, the Felineens, Arysia, and Larraq are MINE. Do I make myself clear? MINE!!!  
  
"Chieftess! There are ships approaching, outsiders, and many of them. What do we do?"  
  
The woman being addressed rose swiftly, her fierce, ice blue eyes flashing angrily. Her voice was sharp and commanding as she issued orders, "Get the cubs into the lairs. Make sure they are safe. Remember, they are our life, they assure that our race does not die. Move swiftly. Once that is done, gather my guard. We shall meet these outsiders in true Felineen fashion, armed to the teeth and prepared for battle," she was a sight to behold, this fierce leader of the catlike clans. Small in build, and slender, but well muscled, possessing a deadly grace. Her hair hung to her waist, twisted into a single silvery white braid. Her pale skin was marked by spots and stripes similar to that of a modern day cheetah. She was a warrior, a mother, a lover, and still so very young. She turned to her mate, a fierce looking male with skin patterned like a tiger, and smiled faintly, "Shall we go to meet them then my love? Shall we show them that we will not be frightened by a show of numbers, that we are a proud, and fierce people?"  
  
"Aye Silver, M'love, let us teach them a lesson," he replied.  
  
The catlike people moved swiftly, shuttling the many children of different ages off to the lairs, their hiding places. They were all just a little afraid of course, who would not be in their places? For hundreds of years they had lived in peace, having no interference from any outsiders, and now, an entire fleet was landing on their planet, their home. Many of them resented being ruled by a Silverclaw, for it was rumored that they were cowards at heart, but others looked to their chieftess for guidance, deeming her wiser than any of them. And her mate, Kiven, he was a Blackfang, one of the fiercest clans of all. Surely, with him beside her, they would be victorious this day.  
  
Arysia Silvertear Drysian of the Clan Silverclaw, ruler of all Felineen clans swept out of her humble home, her mate at her side. This would be a day of reckoning for they that dared to invade her homeland. They that dared betray the treaty signed so long ago. Her people rallied behind her as she stalked toward the landing ships, anger burning in her fierce gaze. Each of them was heavily armored and armed, snarling amongst themselves as the ramp of the first ship lowered and their would be conqueror strode out.  
  
A soft murmur swept through the ranks at the sight of him, the pale blue skinned, red eyed Chiss...Grand Admiral Thrawn. Silvertear bristled , striding forward as the other shuttles unloaded their passengers, hundreds of Stormtroopers sweeping out.  
  
"Who are you? What is your business here? This is our home. You are not welcome here. Leave now, or suffer," The proud ruler snapped.  
  
Thrawn merely chuckled, surveying the gathered army with a faint look of amusement. His gaze settled on Silvertear, who was fully prepared to battle, having assumed her usual fighting stance. He knew at once she would have much potential as a warrior, by the way she held herself, and her weapon, which put him in the mind of the glaives favored by the Crimson Guard, save that this weapon possessed more slender blades, each curved into a half circle, "My dear woman, realize this, you have no hope of coming out the victor here. Surrender now, and no one need die."  
  
"There is no honor is dying a coward! If we are to die here, than it is to be. You are the one who has no hope. We have made our peace with our gods, death is only the next step in the circle of life," she replied, bringing a murmur of agreement from the crowd behind her. Giving them no time to respond, she raised on hand and dropped it, signaling her people to attack. In a wave of bodies they swept forward, voices joining in one fierce battlecry.   
  
They were massacred, of course. Being primitive as they were, they stood no chance against the superior training of the Imperial soldiers. The males were all slaughtered, save for Silvertear's mate, who was restrained by three Storm Troopers as the rest swept through the village, clearing out homes and setting fire to them. And females that were not slaughtered were taken into custody to be sold as slaves at a later date. Silvertear strained against her captors, snarling and hissing as they herded the children into the square. Immediately, Silver's two beloved cubs ran forward, only to be snatched up by two more troopers. The eldest was five, the youngest three. Thrawn nodded once, stepping up behind Silver and whispering softly in her ear.  
  
"By the time we have finished with you, you will have no desire to fight us any longer. You will fall into place as a warrior of the Empire, or a fate worse than death will await you."  
  
The children were shoved to the ground, falling to their hands and knees. Not once did they cry, though they were both terrified. Their mother had taught them well. At a nod from Thrawn the troopers took aim and fired, sending a crimson bolt into each of their small skulls. They slumped to the ground without a sound, though tears streaked their young faces. Two pained roars split the air as both Silver and Kiven struggled against their captors, straining to break free. Kiven was pulled to a large post in the center of the square and tied there, completely unable to move. Realization dawned on Silver and her struggling died away. They were going to kill him. They were going to take from her everything she held dear. She tried to look away, but Thrawn grabbed her head and forced her to watch. He signaled once more and five troopers gathered in a half circle around the bound male opened fire, sending bolt after bolt into his body, where one would have sufficed. Silver screamed in pain and disbelief, her mind refusing to believe. She went limp in the arms of her captors, hanging her head in defeat. She was drug to Thrawn's shuttle, even as the other surviving females were herded into the other shuttles. 


	2. Prelude to Training

Disclaimer: I can claim no ownership of the Star Wars Galaxy, the Empire, Thrawn, or any of that. However, Arysia, the Felineens, the Eight Clans, Kiven, Zaracuse, and Arcadia Nestari are MY creations, and Larraq is the creation of a friend. Do not steal on pain of death from the SW gods!!  
  
Author's Note: In regards to a review that was left at the end of Chapter One, yes I realize that massacring people is not Thrawn's style, but that's the beauty of Fanfiction. You can have whatever you want HAPPEN. I adore Thrawn as a character, and needed the massacre to happen for the story. Anyway, I realie that Chapter Two is short, but it's just a prelude to Chapter Three in which our little catwoman undergoes some of the most brutal training in her young life.  
  
She hung limply against the wall, her arms held above her head by thick cuffs attached to the wall. She had been stripped down to nothing to her waist, and the pale skin of her back was crisscrossed by thin cuts and raised welts. Her eyes were red and puffy from shedding tears of pain and her breath came in shaky little half sobs. The room was dark, the silence broken only by Arysia's muffled sobs. There was an electronic hiss as the doors slid open and the lights flashed on, revealing the blue skinned admiral, flanked by two guards, "Get her down now. Bring her to the medical bay," he commanded.  
  
"Yes Sir," they intoned, moving to the wall. One standing on either side they unlocked the cuffs, catching her none too gently as she fell back. Their rough handling caused her to cry out in pain and fall into soft whimperings as they hauled her to the med bay as commanded. They dumped her face first onto one of the tables and retreated from the room, per Thrawn's command.   
  
The feared Grand Admiral stalked forward to the table where the beaten woman lay. He trailed a finger through the blood on her back, smearing it across her pale skin. He felt her shiver beneath his touch and smirked a bit. Gently, his touch soft, he lightly smeared bacta across the cuts and welts, leaning close and speaking softly in the way one might speak to a small child, "The more you fight us, the more you will suffer. You possess great natural fighting talent, it only needs to be cultivated. If you were to swear loyalty to the Empire I could see too it that you were trained. And you need never suffer like this again. We take care of our own."  
  
Her ice blue eyes fluttered open and she stared at the Chiss silently, shivers rippling across her body from his touch on her back. Her voice was soft, and cold when she replied, "What guarantee do I have, that I will live, even after I swear loyalty? I have nothing to live for as it is. My life might as well be over."  
  
"You could not be more wrong. You have much to live for little kitten, very much indeed. Despite rumors that have rippled outwards, the Empire has many females under its command, strong, intelligent warriors each of them, and most are in the Emperor's rank of personal guardsmen or intelligence agents. Think hard Little One, on what you are being offered, security, a home, protection. All we ask in return is loyalty," he fell silent then, waiting, watching her intently.  
  
Arysia's mind raced, this was by no means an easy decision. This would effect the rest of her life but what should she do? What choices did she really have? To reject his offer meant to suffer more. To accept meant the kind of training she'd only been able to dream of..."You have my word as a Silverclaw Admiral, I swear loyalty to the Galactic Empire, and to your Emperor. My word is my bond, by my blood, I swear this is so."  
  
"There now, you see? Was that so terribly difficult? Rest now. Your training begins in four hours."  
  
And then he was gone, leaving the catwoman alone with her thoughts. Doubt raced through her mind. Had she done the right thing? Had she shamed herself before the gods for giving in? What did it matter? She didn't have a life to go back to. Her people were dead, slaughtered at the hands of the Empire. She was already damned before the gods for having survived that massacre. Her actions from here on out would hardly effect the outcome of her afterlife. And so she drifted off to sleep, intending to enjoy her four hours of reprieve before the work started. 


End file.
